![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/files\/2012\/08\/1381389_clouds_in_the_sky.jpg\")
This isn’t a philosophical musing or the start of a poem. We’re referring to the type of cloud containing data, not water. The latest buzzword the past few months is “cloud computing”, but what is “the cloud”?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
This isn’t a philosophical musing or the start of a poem. We’re referring to the type of cloud containing data, not water. The latest buzzword the past few months is “cloud computing”, but what is “the cloud”?<\/p>\n
Cloud computing\u00a0is the use of\u00a0computing\u00a0resources (hardware and software) delivered as a service over a\u00a0network (typically the\u00a0Internet).\u00a0In other words, it’s a grid of computers set up in such a way that it can host a service to deliver software and data. Websites and server-based applications run on specific computers or servers.<\/p>\n
The difference with a cloud, however is that the cloud uses a collective virtual computer, which runs independently from another computer or specific server configurations. To quote T. Grance and W. Jansen\u00a0(Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing)<\/em>\u00a0– “The common characteristics most (clouds) share are on-demand scalability of highly available and reliable pooled computing resources, secure access to metered services from nearly anywhere, and dislocation of data and services from inside to outside the organization.”<\/p>\n With broadband internet, the need to have the software run on your computer or on a company\u2019s site is becoming less and less essential. A lot of the software that people use nowadays is completely web-based. The cloud takes advantage of that to bring it to the next level. Proponents claim that cloud computing allows enterprises to get their applications up and running faster, with improved manageability and less maintenance, and enables IT to more rapidly adjust resources to meet fluctuating and unpredictable business demand.<\/p>\n End users access cloud-based\u00a0applications\u00a0through a\u00a0web browser\u00a0or a light-weight desktop or\u00a0mobile app\u00a0while the\u00a0business software\u00a0and user’s data are stored on servers at a remote location.Cloud computing relies on sharing of resources to achieve coherence and\u00a0economies of scale\u00a0similar to a\u00a0utility\u00a0(like the\u00a0electricity grid) over a network.\u00a0At the foundation of cloud computing is the broader concept of\u00a0converged infrastructure\u00a0and\u00a0shared services.<\/p>\n Please keep in mind that cloud storage is NOT recommended for institutional and academic information (see definitions below). If you do decide to make use of cloud storage, rather use it for your personal information or non-critical information.<\/p>\n In terms of the draft\u00a0Information Management Policy<\/em>, the following information categories and sensitivity categories are defined:<\/p>\n 1.1.1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Two overarching information categories are defined:<\/p>\n a)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Academic information<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>is information that comprises academic content (including library, learning materials, research output, etc.).<\/p>\n b)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Institutional information<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>is information that the University as organisation, including its staff, students and other stakeholders, owns, or is the custodian of, as well as any information that is not classified as academic information.<\/p>\n 1.1.2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Four categories of information sensitivity, in descending order of sensitivity, are defined:<\/p>\n a)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Confidential information\u00a0<\/strong>is information that was provided or is used in confidence and that may only be accessed by or shared with authorised persons on a need-to-know basis.<\/p>\n b)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Personal information<\/strong>\u00a0is a specific type of Confidential Information and is defined as information that can be used to identify an individual or information about an identifiable individual and information that is defined by relevant legislation as personal information.<\/p>\n c)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Operationally sensitive information<\/strong>\u00a0(default sensitivity) is information that is used in the day-to-day operations of the University and is classified as sensitive to very sensitive depending on the extent to which its divulgence will adversely affect the University\u2019s image or operations.<\/p>\n d)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Public information\u00a0<\/strong>is published for public or general.<\/p>\n << What are the advantages and disadvantages of cloud storage?<\/a><\/p>\n SOURCES: http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/cloud-computing-work-technology-explained\/<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cloud_computing<\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Die nuuste gonswoord die afgelope paar maande is “cloud computing”, maar wat is hierdie sogenaamde”cloud” waarvan almal praat?<\/p>\n “Cloud computing” is die gebruik van rekenaarbronne (harde- en sagteware) verskaf as `n diens oor `n netwerk (gewoonlik die internet) Met ander woorde, dis `n netwerk van rekenaars wat op so `n manier opgestel is dat dit `n spesifieke diens kan huisves wat sagteware en inligting aan gebruikers kan verskaf.<\/p>\n Webwerwe en bediener-gebaseerde toepassings loop op spesifieke rekenaars of bedieners. Wat `n “cloud” egter anders maak is dat dit een gemeenskaplike, virtuele rekenaar gebruik wat onafhanklik loop van ander rekenaars of spesfieke bedienerkonfigurasies.<\/p>\n Om \u00a0T. Grance en W. Jansen\u00a0(Guidelines on Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing)<\/em>\u00a0aan te haal – “The common characteristics most (clouds) share are on-demand scalability of highly available and reliable pooled computing resources, secure access to metered services from nearly anywhere, and dislocation of data and services from inside to outside the organization.”<\/p>\n Met vinniger bre\u00ebband-internet word die behoefte om sagteware te loop op jou rekenaar of op jou maatskappy se webwerf al minder noodsaaklik. Baie van die sagteware wat jy elke dag gebruik is alreeds web-gebaseer. Die “cloud” neem dit net nog `n vlak ho\u00ebr.<\/p>\n Voorstaanders van die \u00a0beweging na “cloud computing” beweer dat dit maatskappye sal help om toepassings vinniger aan die gang te kry, beter te bestuur en natuurlik laer onderhoud. Dit sal IT ook in staat stel om hulpbronne vinniger aan te pas en verander om te voldoen aan wisselende en onvoorspelbare besigheidsvereistes.<\/p>\n Eindgebruikers kry toegang tot die “cloud” deur middel van `n webblaaier of `n toepassing op jou rekenaar of selfoon, terwyl besigheidsagteware en gebruikers se data gestoor word by `n afgele\u00eb ligging. \u00a0Aan die basis van “cloud computing” l\u00ea die filosofie van saamgesmelte infrastrukture en gedeelde dienste.<\/p>\n Hou asseblief in gedagte dat “cloud”-berging NIE aanbeveel word vir institusionele of akademiese inligting (sien definisies onder) aanbeveel word nie. \u00a0Indien jy wel besluit om van die “cloud” gebruik te maak, gebruik dit eerder vir persoonlike inligting of inligting wat nie krities is nie.<\/p>\n In terme van die konsep\u00a0Informasie Bestuursbeleid,<\/em> is die volgende informasie-kategorie\u00eb en sensitiwiteitskategorie\u00eb \u00a0gedefinieer:<\/p>\n Die twee oorkoepelende kategorie\u00eb is:<\/p>\n a)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Akademiese informasie <\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>is informasie bestaande uit akademiese inhoud (insluitende biblioteek-en, leermateriaal en navorsingsuitsette)<\/p>\n b)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Institusionele informasie <\/strong>is die informasie wat die Universiteit as organisasie, personeel, studente en ander belanghebbendes ingesluit, besit of die kurator van is, asook enige informasie wat nie geklassifiseer kan word as akademiese inligting nie.<\/p>\n Vier kategorie\u00eb van inligtingsensitiwiteit, in volgorde van sensitiwiteit, is gedefinieer:<\/p>\n a) \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Konfidensi\u00eble informasie\u00a0<\/strong>is informasie wat vertroulik verskaf is en gebruik word en slegs toeganklik mag wees of gedeel word met gemagtigde persone op `n nodig-om-te-weet basis.<\/p>\n b)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Persoonlike informasie<\/strong>\u00a0is `n spesifieke tipe Konfidensi\u00eble Informasie en word gedefinieer as informasie wat gebruik kan word om `n individu te indentifiseer of informasie oor `n identifiseerbare individu en informasie wat gedefinieer word deur die relevante wetgewing as persoonlike informasie.<\/p>\n c)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Operasioneel sensitiewe informasie<\/strong>\u00a0(verstek-sensitiwiteit) is informasie wat operasioneel van dag-tot-dag deur die Universiteit gebruik word en geklassifiseer word as sensitief afhangende van die omvang en implikasie swat die bekendmaking daarvan die Universiteit \u00a0se beeld of werking kan beinvloed.<\/p>\n d)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Publieke informasie <\/strong>word algemeen gepubliseer of vir die publiek.<\/p>\n SOURCES: http:\/\/www.makeuseof.com\/tag\/cloud-computing-work-technology-explained\/<\/a>\u00a0&\u00a0http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cloud_computing<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This isn’t a philosophical musing or the start of a poem. We’re referring to the type of cloud containing data, not water. The latest buzzword the past few months is “cloud computing”, but what is “the cloud”? Cloud computing\u00a0is the use of\u00a0computing\u00a0resources (hardware and software) delivered as a service over a\u00a0network (typically the\u00a0Internet).\u00a0In other words, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":259,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49,2679],"tags":[28517,29197],"class_list":["post-2287","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-general","category-internet","tag-cloud-storage","tag-icloud"],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-05-07 23:21:18","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2287","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/259"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2287"}],"version-history":[{"count":24,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2287\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9487,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2287\/revisions\/9487"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2287"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2287"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sun.ac.za\/it\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2287"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\u00a0<\/div>\n<\/p>\n